It turned out that a White House online petition to lift the phone unlocking ban has already gathered over 110,000 signatures. Since the threshold for “We the People” petitions is 100,000, now the government will have to review or at least reply to the petition.

The controversial ban was introduced in the beginning of the year and under this new legislation anyone who dares to unlock their own phone in the United States could face up to five years of prison time along with a $500,000 fine. Industry observers were not happy to hear such news. For example, Forbes described the new law as a “clear example” of copyright legislation gone crazy (which is true). In the meantime, the lawmakers pointed out that the underlying law is the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, better known as DCMA. However, applying the legislation to cell phone unlocking is, we would say, a stretch.

Actually, the ban is considered as an example of crony capitalism, which is nothing new in post-Citizens United America. For example, this ban allows corporations to control how their gear is used after it is sold – this obviously violates property rights. Although phone companies may claim that they are renting their devices on 2-year plans, they actually are not – at least not now.

Industry experts compared the situation to the one when a car company is telling its clients that they can’t install new alloys. In the meantime, buying a modular assault rifle is still legitimate in the United States, and the accessory market is growing rapidly. Indeed, in most states you can install everything from a bayonet to a high-powered scope and high capacity magazine on almost any rifle, and it is absolutely legal. Yet unlocking a cell phone can lead you to a courtroom, facing some serious jail time...

hahaha wot a joke its just like any other goverments way of taking money from the public its the same with cars you buy your car u register it with the dvla an its not ur car anymore cuz u have signed it over to them so u have to pay tax/insurence u dont register your car you dont pay but its ovbious you carnt do that with your phone its perfetic the goverment are money grabbin parasites

"Land of The Free and Home of The Brave"..??? it's a wonder that the countries
whose societies are OLDER than the USA are taking over America ,by leaps and bounds..America's a "newborn",,lost for words....
Shite!! a,friggn,PHONE,wtf!!

if you search USA phone carriers have special box devices for fix erase unlocked smartphones around $20.00 bucks and maybe unlocked cost same if you don't like phone carriers know about your service or if you don't like your mammy see your phone bill statement.

If this law was introduced to protect the telecoms who contract out expensive phones with little or no initial down payment and then tie the public in with expensive call charges to recoup their costs and make profits it is understandable but to legislate what I can or cannot do with my own fully purchased phone is outrageous.

This is true With my no contract cell phone carrier I can use any phone! with out a contract and I pay at least 50% less per month! for example average at&T bill would be around 100 a month for cell text and internet plus all the dirty little charges and federal fees hidden in the bill.I pay 45 plus my states sales tax and a 2 dollar online bill pay charge so it comes out to 50.31 a month but mine is unlimited everything but only 3g internet not 4g or 4glte. im useing at&T and there towers and if I want to switch to verizon I just get a verizon phone call my carier pay them 15 bucks and they send me a verizon sim card. the second thing that is going on is with a for example unocked at&t phone you can use there prepaid service that is 50.00 a month plus tax unlimited everything! cell phones are notorious here in the U.S. for being stolen and are a commonly traded item for drugs or cash heck even the pawn shops now trade them. wich is cause law enforcement a headache due to the fact that they cant tap the phones cause they change all the time! its basicaly the government trying to get rid of what is known as burner cell phones where you get them for cheap use them for a short time and throw them away!

What do firearms have to do with altering cell phones? No fire arm company want anything to do with it after you purchase it. A cell phone on the other hand generally stays connected to is makers until its disconnected. Thanks for the pointless anti-gun propaganda, and wrecklessly making your articles untrustworthy.

If you had read the article properly 'ARYANtheAG' you would have seen that firearms are only mentioned to emphasise how ludicrous the law is USA when you can be prosecuted for unlocking your phone whilst ownership of an assault rifle is not questioned. God bless America.

After the 13th of April 2013 when my phone contract is over, I am considering getting rid of my mobile phone permanently. It's another device where my movements can be tracked, messages I send can be interceded and my calls can be listened in on.
I find there is always this pressure to answer calls, or want to receive calls, when owning a mobile phone. I have lost the sense of freedom which comes from not having a mobile phone and I want that freedom back!

I certainly hope Americans do find freedom. Freedom from the propaganda their government hands out to them. Freedom for the many children of America who are starving and homeless. Saddens my heart greatly.

Prepaid is definitely becoming the way to go. They can make all the rules they want to for the lucky dumbass citizens who have credit and subscriptions and whatnot, so corporation/government (x) can have leverage to sue and imprison them the next time they hit some hard times financially, or simply become overwhelmed by the demands of staying legal. Or: You can just fill out an app and get a free cell anywhere in the US, 250 minutes a month depending on the prepaid service provider you choose. If you don't want to fill out an application and want to be really anonymous, get a smartphone from Ting for between 9 and 30 bucks a month for a really decent plan... Also applies to internet service. Virgin Mobile 4g hotspot $35 a month: Faster than comcast or at&t, they don't know anything about me to even attempt to sue me, and if they try to block me I just go get a new usb stick... Why would I want any traditional utilities? Kind of off topic, but I watch my parents struggle making 100k+ a year because half the money goes to insurance and taxes, and they buy new cars when they can't afford to leave town for the afternoon because they think people shouldn't need to fix their Japanese cars. There is a big problem in America; namely, it's gone. All the suburbs full of families trying to keep the 20th century going... its so sad for them. We got so comfortable and complacent we can't stand up to a few greedy corporate lawyers and everyone is wearing brand new invisible designer threads... I moved to the city after high school to get connected to people and get my finger on the pulse so to speak. Come to find out a decade later there is no pulse. Its too much to say here but in short the smart folks are working to find a way out of the system in every way possible...

From what I understand the ban doesn't include phones you buy off ebay or pay full price for. This applies to phones in which people take the discounted price from carries and then do not fulfill their contract obligations. I just received a Motorola Razr Maxx HD for $99 from Verizon for my 2yr upgrade, which is way below retail which is around $600. What the carriers are having problems with are people who get phones these at cheap rates and only last a month or two, default on their contract then unlock the phone and go to a different carrier. They lose substantial amounts of money and that cost is passed on to people who keep their contracts like me who pays over $200 a month for two lines both the same phone.